The present disclosure relates to a technology clip device and method for supplementing a security hard tag with the technology clip. The technology clip enhances and attaches to a security hard tag. The technology clip includes a technology element providing an additional feature when coupled to a security hard tag for application to products.
Electronic article surveillance (EAS) includes the tracking and/or detecting the presence or removal of items from warehousing, inventory, or a retail establishment. EAS is achieved by applying an EAS element as part of a security tag to the item or it packaging and when the security tags are exposed to a predetermined electromagnetic field (e.g. pedestals located at a retail establishment exit), they activate to provide some type of alert and/or supply data to a receiver or other detector. In the electronic article surveillance (EAS) industry, a “hard tag” refers to either a re-usable or disposable tag which is intended to be removed from an article, e.g., merchandise at the point of sale to be re-used on other merchandise or thrown away. Hard tags typically are constructed to contain an EAS element, winch may be for example an acousto-magnetic element (AM), a radio frequency element (RF), or electro-magnetic element (EM). Tags may also be constructed to contain a radio frequency identification (RFID) element, which may respond at low, high, or ultra high frequencies.
An EAS element may include a resonant circuit with a coil coupled to a capacitor. The EAS security element is tuned to a predetermined frequency and if one attempts to remove the hard tag with the security element from a store, an alarm triggers as the tag passes through as surveillance field created by a transmitter and receiver located between pedestals at the store exit, tuned to the same frequency. The alarm goes off as the EAS element resonates, providing an output signal detected by a receiver, also located in the pedestals.
An RFID element typically includes an integrated circuit (IC) and an RF LC circuit (resonant circuit) or antenna (e.g. as dipole antenna), tuned to a predetermined RF frequency. Often, the integrated circuit (IC) comprises memory that has been programmed with information associated with the article (e.g., product ID information such as a serial number, unique identification number, price, etc.). When a transmitter emits a signal at the predetermined RE frequency and threshold value which is received by the tuned antenna, the RFID element emits a signal containing the stored information which is then received by a receiver and the information demodulated from the element-emitted signal. This information can then be used for, among other things, determining whether to set off an a alarm or not. The RFID tag may also be used for merchandise visibility and inventory control, to identify where a tag and associated product are located or where they have moved to or from within the store.
In alternative to an EAS element embedded in as hard tag, the hard tag may be equipped with a benefit denial device. A benefit denial tag typically includes ink releasing elements, such that when an attempt to break the tag from a product is performed, glass vials of ink shatter within the tag, ultimately leaking about the product which devalues the product and likewise to provide notification to the retailer that that particular merchandise was tampered with.
Retail stores typically utilize only one of the above security technologies in a hard tag for application to products. Adding two or more tags to a product, wherein each tag may have as different functional element (e.g. RFID or EAS, or ink) is advantageous from a security and/or inventory perspective. For example, a hard tag attached to product containing an EAS tag may notify the retailer if merchandise has been stolen when transferred through a pedestal and an RFID tag attached to the same product may inform a retailer through a reader of where the particular product is located throughout a store. However, application of multiple tags to a product requires significant time and resources to outfit a product with multiple tags at multiple locations about the product. If retail personnel are required to outfit the products with multiple tags, then the customer and potential sales may be impacted. Less retail personnel may be on the store floor to aid customers if they are in the backroom of the store having to apply multiple tags to a product. Customer wait at a checkout may also lengthen, as the retailer has to find and then detach, deactivate, and remove more than one tag from the product.
What is needed is a device and method to combine additional elements about a single hard tag and maintain the method and effort for attachment to garments and likewise the removal method and effort of the device at the point of sale. With multiple elements combined about one hard tag, additional security and/or merchandise visibility and inventory may occur. A hard tag, having additional elements about the tag, means that only one tag may be applied about a product as opposed to many tags, each having different security functions and/or merchandise visibility functions.